The three non-profit student exchange organizations AFS, Experiment and YFU, have been running a special assessment center for the development of skills necessary for volunteers working in international student exchange. This paper presents the goals and intentions behind this tool and also discusses the use of human resource development tools in…

This naturalistic inquiry explored the theory of transactional distance by investigating how a novice adult learner experiences an online environment. Three themes that are related to how the novice learner reduces the transactional distance space emerged from an analysis of interview transcripts: creating a voice for learning, connecting in a…

Each year, more than 200 students at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School in Pennsylvania make a commitment to help improve Philadelphia's neighborhoods as they work toward their high school diplomas. Since YouthBuild Philadelphia's inception in 1992, students have provided a wide variety of volunteer services to families and organizations…

The Experience Corps[R], a community-based intergenerational program, was developed to promote the health of older adults while simultaneously addressing unmet social and academic needs in public elementary schools. The model was designed to draw on, and potentially activate, the wisdom of older adults. This paper explores the nature of…

Our research involved a community-school literacy initiative where seniors visit elementary schools to read with children. As we considered the residual data in our study, we were led to explore an emerging school-community relationship--a web of connection--being created by senior volunteers in the project. We discuss this aspect of our study in…

Ground rules need to be recognized in order to make the contributions of public relations volunteers successful. Before beginning, public relations volunteers needs to know what the organization expects of them. Volunteers also should: identify the resources available to them; define and identify the tasks that apply to the specific situation;…

Describes an experimental program in which volunteers provided direct protective services to parents who were involved in cases of child abuse. (DP)

Some persons seek volunteer work actively and participate enthusiastically. Others have to be recruited and motivated to make them successful as volunteer workers. The purpose of this book is to guide the professional staffs and the volunteer leaders of the groups that provide opportunities for volunteers in the best techniques in the selection…

Provides guidelines culled from the experience of school systems that have used parent volunteers successfully in their assessment programs. (Author/IRT)

This study found that six areas of volunteer leadership development are important to volunteers and 4-H agents. The areas are (1) recruiting, (2) training, (3) motivation, (4) recognition, (5) retention, and (6) supervision. (JOW)

The advantages, problems and innovative approaches characterizing student volunteer activities at 2-year colleges are discussed. (RN)

Discusses the need for training of volunteer tutors used in literacy programs and describes a training program consisting of four workshops. (CHC)

A survey of volunteers, offenders, and prison personnel in a volunteer mentoring program in Oklahoma prisons uncovered problems caused by inadequate mentor training due to lack of resources. Lack of funds forces correctional agencies to use volunteers, but it also prevents them from using them effectively. (SK)

Focus groups were conducted with 32 Australian local government officials and interviews held with 18 administrators responsible for sports and recreation. They recognized the importance of training for volunteer sports administrators and believed local government's role included identifying local needs and facilitating training. (Contains 20…

Workplace volunteer councils (WVC) are associations of representatives from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors working together to enhance grass-roots volunteerism. Volunteer administrators can play an integral role in supporting partnerships formulated through a WVC by providing opportunities and expertise to ensure that the experience is…